Taming
by Eternaltsundere
Summary: In a world obsessed with elusive, flying reptiles, Tino really has his work cut out for him. Not only will he have to tame a potentially-vicious dragon... but Berwald, too. Eventual SuFin


**A/N: Few notes... um, one, this is an AU, obviously. If you've got any questions about the AU, feel free to ask and I'll churn'em out. It just kind of... came to me in a dream one day, as corny as that sounds. Fair warning – fic starts out fluffy, turns dark, turns action-y, then may go back to fluffy – I'm not quite sure yet. **

**I love SuFin, but Spamano is my OTP, so expect to see that in here for sure...**

**First line of the fic and the ensuing antics are an inside joke, so I apologize for any strangeness.**

**That's about it, I think.**

**(Please review? Even if it's to tell me how horrible I am at this...)**

–

"I am being _completely _serious, Tor! I can totally lift that boulder with one hand tied behind my back!"

Tino rolled his eyes at his boisterous friend's obviously untrue words, exchanging a look - no, _the _look - with Toris. The three best friends were walking together like they always did; however, this day was not an ordinary day. It was special.

And quite frankly, Tino was really hoping Feliks wouldn't pull anything stupid on this day of all days. He sighed, albeit a bit too loudly, and earned himself a glare from the blonde at his side.

"What? You think I, like, can't do that?" grumbled Feliks. His voice rose; "I can! You just watch!" With that said, the other boy scurried over to said boulder and attempted to heave it up with one arm. For a moment he tottered dangerously, seemingly caught between the two options of falling or succeeding - and then, with a grunt, he hefted it upwards.

"Ha! Look! Tor, Tino, look! I - nng - lifted it!" Feliks puffed out his chest with pride and then promptly toppled over backwards.

"Feliks!" It was Toris's voice this time, as he rushed to his fallen friend's side. The previously-bluffing blonde was now struggling to pry the large rock from off of his chest. Tino blinked and looked on in a weary confusion, used to this kind of thing by now. Sighing yet again, he started to walk over and then froze, eyes wide.

"Feliks! Toris!" he mumbled, voice wavering. "Can you get up now, _please...?"_

Thankfully, they complied - and just in time. Yao, the village's leader, was making his way over, staring at them oddly. It was to be expected, of course - Yao was an odd man. He was only a few years older than their generation - in fact, he was from the second newest rider generation! - but despite it all he still remained the village's (unofficial) leader. Yao was a slender man with long, dark hair that he kept tied back at all times. Despite their age difference, he was the same height as Tino - which meant that he was very, very short.

"Hello, boys," greeted Yao as he looked them over. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, aru. You're on your way to-?"

Before he could finish, Feliks cut in. "Yup!" His mouth was stretched into an eager grin.

"Er... Alright... Anyway, I wanted to talk to you, aru." The teens snapped to immediate attention at that. "As you know... today is the day, isn't it? The day you all receive.. your dragons, aru..." Yao looked troubled, silencing them all with a wave of his hand. "I am aware, however, of some of your class's ages..." Tino stiffened. "I know that a good number of you are still 15, and-"

It was Toris who cut in this time, something that shocked all present. "Tino, Alfred and Feliciano will be fine! They're exceptional students, Mr. Yao, you know that..." He paused. "...Oh, and Matthew, too..." Almost as suddenly as he had spoken out, the brunette fell silent again, looking a bit embarrassed.

"...I suppose you have a point, aru," sighed Yao. "Very well. But I ask you two to please _keep an eye on the younger ones..._" Despite the resolution to the issue, Yao's gaze was still conflicted, his brows furrowed. Tino felt a tiny surge of annoyance at the words he had spoken; was he really considered so weak that he had to be watched over? And by his closest friends, no doubt! He sighed deeply, wondering if they would listen to Yao or not...

"Sure!" chirped Feliks, giving Tino the answer he so desired. "And I'm sure the others will help too! Ludwig and Lovino and-" He was cut off by Toris, who held a hand over his mouth. "Enough..," murmured the boy, obviously a bit miffed by Feliks's antics. In response, Feliks's eyes narrowed - Tino couldn't tell what was happening, but in the next moment, Toris jumped back, crying out.

Turning to Yao, the small blonde boy smiled apologetically and spoke; "I'll be sure to stay out of trouble, Mr. Yao..." There was a cackle from behind them. "And I'll keep the others out of trouble, too!" His gentle features melted into a confident grin, looking a bit out of place on his face.

"Alright. I know I can trust you, Tino." And as quickly as he had come, the man retreated, leaving Tino to shoot an irked glance at his two friends. "You LICKED me!" Toris was crying, eyes wide and expression a bit repulsed. Feliks grinned in reply.

"Come on, you two!" Tino muttered, grabbing Feliks by the hand (who, in turn, grabbed Toris, as Tino had predicted) and leading them towards the building upon the hill - their destination. "We're going to be late..."

"As you all already know," announced Elizaveta, their teacher, looking out upon the assembled class. "Today is the last day that you will have me as a teacher..." Tino thought he saw a glimmer of sadness in the woman's eyes, and he smiled fondly up at her. She was truly a great mentor - and he was certain that she would miss them as much as they would miss her...

"Don't be sad, Mrs. Edelstein!" Alfred shouted. She promptly shot him an odd look, before turning back to the class as a whole.

"Overlooking that _rude interruption_," she went on. "Today is the day that you will choose your dragons. Or, should I say... that your dragons will choose you." As if making a point, the huge scarlet beast that had been previously curled (quite awkwardly) in the corner of the room swooped over, wrapping his tail around his rider. Elizaveta gave him a fond scratch on the head, murmuring to him for a second, and then returned her attention to the students as her dragon nuzzled a huge snout into her cheek.

"Now I suppose it would probably be a good idea for me to go back over all the dragon breeds, mm?" The words were met with a few groans, although Tino felt excitement surge through him. Finally a chance to see if he could remember everything he'd been taught! Elizaveta looked a bit amused at the general response from the class, but she went on nonetheless; "Does anyone remember any breeds that stuck out to them?" 

Alfred's hand shot up. Without waiting to be called on, he blurted out, "Ooh! Ooh! Those huge lava-spitting dragons!" The red dragon currently cuddled around Elizaveta glanced upwards at the words, sniffing loudly.

"Good... do you remember anything _else _about that dragon, Alfred?"

"... Er ... It was ... cool ...?" From beside Tino, Feliks gave a small chuckle. Without missing a beat, Alfred turned to stick his tongue out at the blonde boy.

"Not only is it _cool,_ it is also one of the most dangerous dragons that we've discovered," Elizaveta said darkly, face grim. "And I would advise you _not _to go looking for one. As I've said, your dragons will choose _you _- you just have to show up..." Seeing her dragon's apparent hurt expression, the woman turned to stroke his face, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, Embers," she cooed. "I know _you're _not dangerous." Embers snorted and then knocked over the woman with a long, hooked tail.

When she did not immediately get up, the huge red dragon scurried to her side - now it was his turn to look apologetic. He whined loudly and prodded her side with his muzzle, earning a small laugh from Elizaveta. "Don't worry," she said, not only to the dragon but to the class, "I'm fine." She stood, albeit a bit shakily, and shot Embers a glare, though there was no venom behind it.

"Anyway," she continued. "Besides the lava dragons, we have the flame dragons... what most people would call the friendliest of all the dragon breeds... The lightning dragons, ever-loving of thunderstorms and shiny objects... and..." She trailed off, as if waiting for the class to contribute.

After a short pause, Tino spoke up. "...Erm... and the flora dragons..." Elizaveta smiled encouragingly, prompting him to go on. "Their features resemble plant life, so they can hide in the undergrowth..."

"Thank you, Tino!" Elizaveta said with a grin. "Now, does anyone else want to contribute yet? ...No?" Her expression darkened. "Then I'll just start calling on people!" The brunette looked out over the gathered teenagers before softening her malevolent grin to a gentle smile. "Matthew?"

Looking a bit shocked to be called upon, the boy took his time before speaking; "There are the ocean dragons... um... They're flightless, r-right?"

"Cooooorrect!" Elizaveta was grinning like an idiot again, and Tino wondered just how often the woman could change her expression in a 10-minute period... "What about you, Feliks?"

"Sure I remember! Like, there were these river dragons, and they were totally awesome and small. But unrideable..." He frowned at the last bit, apparently disappointing even himself. "Totally uncool, that part!" Tino rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Meanwhile, Elizaveta seemed to be moving on. She was calling on Ludwig now, and Tino watched in a quiet interest.

"Ah, wasn't it the flower dragons next? They're the same size as the river dragons, thus unrideable. And they have an affinity for wildflowers and are very timid..," said Ludwig, calm throughout the whole thing. Not a single 'um' or 'er' was to be heard. Their teacher nodded, not grinning as widely this time, and then gestured to to the auburn-haired boy who was sitting next to Ludwig - Feliciano.

"Oh, me?" he mumbled, looking a bit lost. "Alright~..! Ve~, there's the soil dragons, who are always covered in mud because they love it so much... Just like how Lovi loves his tomatoes~!" Feliciano looked blissfully happy, while meanwhile his brother was spluttering from behind him.

"Don't call me that! Sh-Shut up!" Lovino seethed, though Tino knew that the anger was a facade.

"Ve? But I thought brother liked tomatoes..."

"I do, but that doesn't mean I want to roll around in them, you moron!"

Now that her attention had been called to the more hot-headed brother, Elizaveta grinned wider. "Ah, would you mind telling us the next dragon breed, _Lovi_?" The hair-trigger-temper teen glared at her, but knew better than to shout at his teacher... especially when her dragon was still snaked protectively around her.

"...My name is _Lovino..._ Anyway, t-the next dragon is the midnight dragon... It's nocturnal..." His voice was a bit unsure, despite his earlier confidence when he had been bickering with his brother.

"Right you are, _Lovi_!" she cooed, and Tino saw the teen twitch in apparent growing annoyance.

"Yeah, _Lovi_," Alfred snickered from behind. Said teen's face was getting redder, though Tino knew that for once it was not in embarrassment.

"Damn it!" he cried out in outrage. "It's bad enough that the tomato bastard calls me that, now you too? Shut your face, you damn - "

"Lovino! Stop that! Class, settle down!" The humor was gone from Elizaveta's voice, and she looked honestly irked. After a moment of hushed silence, she rubbed at her temples and then took a deep breath to compose herself. Embers whined and pressed his nose into her hair. "Now, since you all apparently can't _handle _me calling upon you, I guess I'll just have to say the other dragons myself!" From where he sat beside Feliks and Toris, Tino frowned.

"...Excuse me, Mrs. Edelstein, but you... you never called on Toris, or... Berwald... and I don't think that it's fair -"

"Of course, Tino! I understand!" his mentor exclaimed in excitement. The blonde boy felt rather confused by her sudden mood swing, and the way her eyes had lit up when he had mentioned Berwald's name... but, deciding to push it out of his mind, he nodded, pleased with himself for being able to make sure all was fair. Meanwhile, Elizaveta was calling on Berwald - and almost immediately Tino's interest was piqued.

"... The cloud dragons love the sky, and sleep in trees or on mountains to be close to it ..." The voice was gruff as always, and the words hard to make out. Just then Berwald turned - and his eyes met Tino's own for a heartbeat. Then Tino broke the contact, heart fluttering nervously. _Eek, he's scary! _came his thoughts, though whether or not that was truly why his pulse had become so erratic was another story entirely.

"Great! Toris?" The normally introverted brunette blinked before he contributed his own, last bit of knowledge to the 'discussion' - more like a review...

"Er.. The last one is the breeze type, right? They're called the 'motherly' dragons by some people... because they often adopt other species...? And they like wind..."

"Very good! ...Okay, now that we got that over with..." The whole class seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief at this bit of news, and their teacher frowned in feigned anger. "Hey! You all had better respect me, ya hear ...! ...Ungrateful whippersnappers!"

"Alright, listen up! You are _all _going to spend as much time in the wilderness as necessary to acquire your dragon - and I don't want _any _complaining!"

Tino blinked as he stared up at his new teacher - the one and only husband of Elizaveta, Roderich. At his side was a small violet-scaled dragon with a daisy clutched between its jaws; It was munching busily upon the plant, and Tino supposed that it was most likely a flower dragon.

"Now, I will provide you with more than enough food for your stay - a week's worth. Finding your dragon should take less than half that time," Mr. Edelstein went on. "I'm assuming that Elizaveta has taught you all you need to know about the dragon breeds? Do I need to go over-"

"No!" Alfred cried out, as his peers exclaimed similar things, albeit much more quietly.

"...Er, alright," said Roderich, looking a bit startled. "Now, you all are permitted to travel in groups of two if you so prefer - but no more, alright? Any more and it could scare off your potential dragon companions..." Worry surged through Tino at these words as he remembered the number of students in the class: 9. Feliks was obviously a bit closer to Toris than he was to his blonde friend; would Tino be the only lone student?

But before he could fret more over the matter, he felt eyes burning into him. _Berwald..? _he wondered. Ah, yes. The reclusive blonde teen didn't seem to have any friends in the class... besides Tino. While Tino did find him scary at times, it was completely against his nature to treat anyone unkindly without good reason, and so the two did have an... odd friendship of sorts. Perhaps it was selfish to think that Berwald would go with him, but who else would he go with...? Maybe Ludwig. They were both similar in some ways...

"Er... There are 9 of us, Mr. Edelstein..," piped up Toris. He looked troubled, and Tino tilted his head as he stared at his friend.

"Yes, that's all very well, but I don't imagine that you all have to go in pairs..." There was a pause as he rummaged through a huge sack of sorts that had been sitting on the grass the entire time. "Would you all please come up and get a bag? It's got the food and water you'll need..."

After they had all collected their supplies, Roderich had led them to the edge of the woods - where they would start their trek to find their dragons. As they all prepared, Tino heard Alfred's voice in the background, apparently talking to Mr. Edelstein; "Hey, aren't you going to give us any weapons?"

There was a short pause, and then: "No. You shouldn't encounter anything too dangerous." Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, Tino hoisted his bag up onto his shoulders and then surveyed what he could see of the woodland. _I sure hope Mr. Edelstein is right... _Shaking his head, the blonde boy turned when he realized that their new teacher was addressing the class again.

"Alright. This is where I say goodbye, students," announced the man. Everyone nodded, not looking particularly saddened by this news, and Mr. Edelstein went on; "If you prefer, you may choose a partner now. Good luck." With that said, the teacher turned and started to walk back up the slope towards the building in the distance. Tino watched him go, feeling overwhelmed by this new task that they had all been assigned - when a sound made him turn back again.

"Toris, you are totally going with me!"

"Um... Feliks, I..." The brunette shot a nervous look at Tino, but the blonde teen just shook his head. _It's okay. I can go on my own if I have to. _The worried expression on Toris's face faded gradually to an apologetic one as he looked back to Feliks. "...Okay."

But despite his brave thoughts, Tino knew that he would much rather go in a group. What happened if Mr. Edelstein was wrong, and he was all alone to face whatever dangers the forest could hold? Shivering, but not from the cold, the blonde steeled his expression and took a few hesitant steps forward. He would have to have courage if he wanted to have a dragon...

"Tino?"

The quiet voice made him turn, and he blinked when he saw who it was - Berwald! The other blonde was looking away, and Tino thought for a moment that maybe he had seen his little display of cowardice. _I hope not. _But soon the eyes were locked with his own, leaving him without those doubts. "Yes, Berwald?" Perhaps the taller male would want to go in a pair after all?

"Can I come with you?" Berwald asked, voice a bit hesitant. At first, Tino thought that he was sincerely timid and wanted a partner to help him as Tino had - but then he saw the protective glimmer in the blue eyes and felt a surge of annoyance. Toris and Feliks had put him up to this, hadn't they? Or Mr. Yao... Either way, it was most likely because of Tino's age that the offer was made.

Still, he couldn't refuse such an offer... Sighing, he nodded before forcing a smile. "Of course!" Before they could leave, however, Tino's attention was grabbed by the strange scene unfolding somewhere to their left.

Alfred and Matthew had already left, as had Toris and Feliks, leaving only Ludwig, Feliciano, and Lovino beside them. Lovino was standing at the very edge of the forest, looking surprised. "Brother! Wait! Don't leave!" This voice belonged to Feliciano, who was scurrying over with a look of distress. "Don't go alone!" Lovino narrowed his eyes at the words.

"Moron! Only two in a group!" he shot back, gaze flickering to Ludwig. Tino watched as Feliciano looked back and forth between them, looking torn. Then Ludwig pushed past the two brothers, mind obviously made up.

"It's alright. I'll be fine on my own." Tino smiled at the display of selflessness, wishing he could have been nice enough to do something similar. Or... hadn't he? Well, not with as many words... Tino whipped around as something prodded him in the back. _Eek! ...Oh. _It was only Berwald, who looked a bit sheepish now. The expression looked out of place on the teen's normally serious face.

"Sorry." Tino shook his head and started off into the woods without waiting for his companion.

"Let's go!"

**A/N: fail I know... Don't mention it okay? XD THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR. Failing. Yup, here to make the world a better place... by making others feel better about themselves. That's schadenfreude for you!**

**I am continuing this whether I get fans or not but review speed me along. o.o For example, I've had this done and in the computer since December (maybe earlier, can't remember) but didn't post it until NOW! :D**


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